Roast Beef and Brie Sandwiches, aka The Gatsby Arrow

Ok, before I start telling you about the best sandwich in the Entire World, I need to give you just a tiny bit of background, and I will start this by telling you I am a proud graduate of Georgetown University.   That's right, I am a Hoya, and while I'm not telling you exactly HOW long ago I graduated, let's just say that Patrick Ewing lived in the on-campus apartment right next door.  You do the math.

Georgetown was a fabulous place to go to college in so many ways.  The gorgeous campus, the fact that we were right in Washington DC, some of the best professors in the world, and a campus pub where I would...well, never mind.

(Note that I am showing you all these lovely pictures of the campus (not mine, I should state for the record) and none of me as an undergraduate.  Nope, those shots are not ready for prime-time.  No sirree.  Anyway, you will note that the cafeteria was NOT included in the list of Georgetown wonderfulness.  Because it was not wonderful.  At all.  Ever.  So every so often we would trundle down Prospect Street to the world's most fantastic sandwich shop, which is (thank goodness!) still there, and that is Booeymongers.

Affectionately known by the Hoya faithful as Booey's.  And there was only one thing I ever got at Booey's...the Gatsby Arrow.  I have no idea how it got that name, I just know it is the most delicious sandwich I know...a baguette stuffed with rare roast beef, Brie cheese and lettuce.  When I make my own version I use a little Dijon mustard as well.  It brings me right back to my college days, only without the blue book exams and the eight track tapes.

So here you go, the very best sandwich I know.  Go Hoyas!

Roast Beef and Brie Sandwiches, with love to Booeymongers

• One loaf french bread
• 1/2 pound rare roast beef, sliced very thin
• 1/2 pound Brie cheese
• Romaine lettuce leaves
• Dijon mustard

1. Split the loaf of bread down the middle and spread one or both sides with mustard, depending on how much of a mustard-lover you are

2. Layer the roast beef on the bottom of the loaf, top with lettuce and then slices of Brie.  Place top of loaf on sandwich.

3. Cut into as many sandwiches as you like - this will feed 2-4 people, depending on how hungry those people are!

Print this!

Brie Croque Monsieur Sandwiches

There are grilled cheese sandwiches, and then there are Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.  I have always been helplessly enthralled with any menu that has the words Croque Monsieur on it.  Because that basically translates to a rocking great grilled cheese sandwich that involves thin-sliced ham, swiss cheese, an egg batter that the whole thing has been dipped in, and some deep-frying.  Usually with some fries on the side, to make sure your calorie intake is high enough.

So imagine this: the very same thing...except instead of the swiss cheese, you use Brie cheese.  And in  my case, I used D'Affinois, which is the cheese I would choose to take with me if I was ever banished forever to a desert island and could only choose one cheese to take with me.  (These are the things I think about, just so you know.  It never hurts to have a plan.)

Now, some Croque Monsieurs out there in the world use a much thicker batter, but I think the light (and I use that word loosely, given what we are talking about here) french toast-type egg mixture approach is actually kinda better.  It lets the whole cheese and ham end of things shine through in all their glory.  And this is one of those recipes that is, well, glorious.  You practically have to eat it with your eyes closed just to make sure nothing else in the world interferes.

Please go make this right now.  Time's a wasting.

Brie Croque Monsieur Sandwiches, adapted from Ile de France Cheeses

9 oz.  Brie or D'Affinois cheese, cut into 12 thin slices

3 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/4 tsp Salt

1/8 tsp Pepper

6 slices thin sliced ham

12 slices white bread

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, divided

• In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk salt and pepper. Set aside.
  
  
• Assemble six sandwiches, each with one slice of ham and two slices of cheese between two slices of bread. Cut each sandwich into quarters.
  
  
• Heat half of the melted butter in a large nonstick pan on medium heat, swirling to coat bottom of pan.
  
  
• Dip half of the sandwich quarters into the egg and milk mixture, turning to coat. Immediately place in preheated pan, and cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until bread is golden brown and cheese is melting. Repeat with remaining butter and  sandwiches. Serve hot.

Click here for printable recipe

Egg Sandwich with Spinach, Brie and Maple Bacon

Things I love in life:

1. Bacon

2. The Southern husband

3. Brie

4. English muffins

5. Baby Spinach

6. Noisy, disobedient but lovable dogs

7. Eggs, over easy

8. Noisy, disobedient but lovable teenagers.

Five of these things are part of the sandwich we had for dinner tonight.  (And by the way, don't you love sandwiches-for-dinner night? I do.  Add that to the above list.)

I won't lie to you, this is a messy one to eat, but man, is it worth every single drip and spatter.  You toast up the muffins and while they are still warm, spread on some nice soft Brie.  Yes, on both sides.  Let them sit there while you slather some maple syrup on the bacon and cook it in the oven.  While the bacon is cooking, saute some baby spinach until it is nice and soft, and then cook up some eggs, over easy - as hard or soft as you like.  I like soft, myself.  

Now slide the egg onto the bottom half of the muffin, lay some spinach over the egg, and a couple of maple bacon pieces over the spinach.  Pop the other muffin half on top.  At this point, the heat of everything is going to start turning that cheese into a melty sauce of molten Brie, and you may start to weep a little in anticipation.  This is normal.   Now sit down and get ready to eat the best egg sandwich in the world.

The best!

Egg Sandwich with Spinach, Brie and Maple Bacon

• Two strips bacon, each cut in half
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups baby spinach
• One English muffin, split
• 2 large slices of Brie cheese, softened
• One egg
• 1 tablespoon butter

1. Preheat oven to 425.  Cover baking sheet (use one with sides) with foil and lay bacon on top. Brush with maple syrup.  Bake for 10 minutes or until bacon is done to your liking.

2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in skillet and saute spinach until wilted, about 2 minutes.  Cover with skillet cover and set aside.

3. Toast English muffin and as soon as it is toasted, spread both sides with cheese.

3. Heat butter in second small skillet over medium heat until melted.  Fry egg until yolk is soft set. Flip and cook another minute longer.

4. Lay egg on bottom of English muffin.  Top with spinach.  Cover spinach with bacon.  Cover with top of English muffin.

Click here for printable recipe

Ham, Brie and Apple Sandwich

Ladies and gentlemen, it's HOT outside. I love my kitchen as much as the next girl, but at the end of a sultry afternoon I come home and look at the stove and I just...can't...do it. That's when it is handy to have a nice pile of sandwich recipes in your back pocket. Recipes that involve dealing with only one large kitchen appliance, and that is the refrigerator.

If you can find it under all the magnets and pieces of paper.

Take the following out of your fridge: thin sliced ham. Really good Brie cheese (I am in love with a brie-like cheese called D'Affinios. If you can find it, give it a try...it will ruin all varieties of Brie for you for the rest of your life, but it will be worth it.) Back to the fridge: you also need a nice crisp Granny Smith apple, some good bread (I used ciabatta bread for our sandwiches)...and here's the kicker. The secret ingredient. The thing that elevates this ham sandwich above all other ham sandwiches...

Mango chutney.

I'm always a little fearful of chutney, to be perfectly honest. I'm just suspicious of all those sweet and sharp bits and pieces of things all lurking together there in the same jar, and you are never really sure about what all of them are, but in this case I don't care, because it just WORKS. I used the Stonewall Kitchen variety of mango chutney and that may have had something to do with it, because everything they make is pretty much perfection. But do whatever you need to do chutney-wise.

So tonight for dinner, just say no to the stove, and hello to ham sandwiches.

Ham, Brie and Apple Sandwich, adapted from Everyday Food

• Thinly sliced ham
• Sliced Brie cheese
• Thinly sliced Granny Smith apple
• Mango chutney (or the chutney of your choice)
• Sliced bread

Spread mango chutney on bread slices. Layer ham, cheese and apple on bread, top with second piece of bread, and enjoy!

Click here for printable recipe

Roasted Garlic and Brie Soup

First of all, check out the ADORABLE little crock that the soup is in. That is part of a set of La Crueset crocks from my indispensable, wonderful, beautiful assistant, who is the most upbeat and efficient person I know, and who cheerfully tries all the many and varied and sometimes strange samples I cook up and leave on her desk. Aren't these little serving dishes great? Get used to them, they are my new favorites, and today they are home to one of my new favorite soups: roasted garlic and Brie soup.

This one is super easy and super delicious, and except for the roasting-of-the-garlic part, pretty time efficient as soups go. Don't be frightened by the fact that this recipe calls for two entire heads of garlic. When you roast garlic the way we are going to do, it takes the sharp edge off of the garlic taste, and we are left with smooth, buttery, gentle garlicky goodness. Promise.

The rest of the this soup is a mixture of minced veggies, chicken broth, herbs and Brie cheese. The softer the Brie, the more it will melt into the soup. I used a medium soft Brie, which meant that I had a few soft chunks of cheese left in mine, which was a-ok with me and the Southern husband, but if you like a smoother soup just use a really soft Brie and it will melt into perfect smoothness. You can't miss either way.

So here you go, the perfect marriage of garlic and Brie, all in one easy soup. Give it a try!

ROASTED GARLIC AND BRIE SOUP, adapted from Cooking Light

• 2 large heads of garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 7 ounces Brie, rind removed and chopped
• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, finelly chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup flour
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper

1. Peel the outer white skin from the garlic. Cut off the top 1/3 of each garlic head and place, cut side up, on a foil lined cooking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and bake for 1 hour at 350. Remove, cool 10 minutes and squeeze the pulp from each clove. (This will not take anywhere NEAR as long as it sounds, don't worry.) Set aside.

2. Cook celery, onion and carrot in remaining olive oil in large pot over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.

3. Add flour and stir until smooth. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring often.

4. Put garlic pulp and one cup soup mixture in food processor and process until smooth. Returm processed mixture to pot and add all of thyme and 1 tablespoon parsley. Bring to a simmer.

5. Add cheese and stir until melted. Season to taste, and serve at once, garnished with the rest of the parsley.

Click here for printable recipe

Turkey, Cranberry, Brie and Bacon Panini

I know, I know, I am a good two weeks late sending you this one, because at this point your Thanksgiving turkey leftovers are just a happy memory. But there is always next year, and in the meantime this sandwich is delicious enough to go get some new turkey to work with. And cranberry sauce.

Here's the deal. You fire up the panini maker -- get that baby good and hot. Brush the outside of two pieces of bread with olive oil, flip them over and layer as follows:

1. Turkey slices
2. Cranberry Sauce (the whole berry kind if you have it)
3. Slices of Brie cheese
4. Bacon

Now put the other piece of bread on top. Put it in the panini maker and press it down. Leave it in there for about 3 minutes. This will make the cheese all melted and wonderful, and will heat up the other stuff and toast the bread. Now take it out, let it rest for a minute or so, and cut it into triangles. That's it -- you are ready for turkey panini heaven.

I think that's all I have to say about this one. It's one of those simple yet perfect recipes that you just have to make and see for yourself. Happy Turkey Sandwich!

TURKEY, CRANBERRY, BRIE AND BACON PANINI

Serves 2

• 4 slices country bread
• Sliced turkey
• 1/2 cup cranberry sauce
• Sliced Brie cheese
• 2 slices bacon, cooked and cut in half
• Olive oil

1. Heat panini maker to medium high
2. Brush one side of bread slices with olive oil (this will be the outside)
3. Lay bread slice oil side down on work surface. Layer with turkey, then cranberry sauce, then cheese, then bacon. Top with second slice of bread, oiled side on the outside
4. Place in panini maker and press down. Cook for 3 minutes.
5. Remove, let cool for a minute, slice in quarters and serve hot.

Click here for printable recipe

Chocolate Brie and Basil Panini

Since I am not going to blog tomorrow, with it being Thanksgiving and all, I wanted today's post to be something a little special and out of the ordinary. Something for you to have in your back pocket for the day AFTER tomorrow, for when you are totally saturated with turkey and stuffing and cooking giant quantities of elaborate holiday fare. Something that is quick and simple and still festive. Something that will make you feel merry on the inside.

I adapted this recipe from GIADA'S KITCHEN, and I did follow her directions by making this in a panini-maker. However, if you are panini-maker-less, you could certainly make a version of this the old-fashioned grilled cheese sandwich way. If you do, I would still brown the bread front and back on your stovetop, just like I did in the panini-maker, since once you are into the second stage with the chocolate and the brie it will go very fast. Too fast to both brown the bread and melt the cheese and chocolate.

I made these sandwiches last weekend for the Southern husband, who is always totally up for a culinary adventure, no matter how off-beat it sounds, and they were simply amazing -- a surprising, decadent, luxurious treat.So with thanks to all of you, who have made ME thankful to have so many wonderful, supportive, creative readers...happy, happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, and here is my newest favorite treat for you to try.

CHOCOLATE, BRIE AND BASIL PANINI, adapted from Giada's Kitchen

Makes two sandwiches

• 4 slices good quality bread
• 4-6 slices Brie cheese
• 1/4 cup good quality chocolate -- chopped or chips
• 1/4 cup fresh sliced basil
• Olive oil

1. Brush both sides of bread with olive oil. Grill in panini-maker until golden brown, 1-2 minutes. If using stovetop skillet, cook on both sides until both sides are golden. Transfer to work surface.

2. Lay 2-3 slices cheese on bread. Top with 1/8 cup chocolate and 1/8 cup basil. Place remaining bread slice on top.

3. Return to panini-maker or skillet and grill an additional 2 minutes. Remove, cut into quarters and serve.

Click here for printable recipe

Pasta with Brie and Tomatoes

This is my favorite summer recipe EVER. It is adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook -- that first one that everyone bought back in the 1980's when they first appeared. If yours is like mine, the binding is cracked and the pages are falling out and you can't get a new one because you have all these notes and memories marked on the pages, and sentimental splotches of meals gone by staining the pages...and I STILL haven't made everything I want to make out of this classic cookbook. But I have made this one, probably 50 times over the years, because it is simple and gorgeous and tastes like heaven on a summertime plate.

You do have use really great fresh ingredients to make it work. Really good basil, which now that it is July I have more than I can use right outside my back door, so if you need any PLEASE come on over and pick some:

Really good olive oil. I use either Columela or Colavita, but whatever kind you like is fine. Fresh ripe tomatos (I am rushing the season just a tiny bit on this, but as soon as your local farm stand or greenmarket has them, make this FIRST! A really nice wedge of Brie - a soft creamy one, not too hard. There is a variety of Brie called D'Affinois that will make you close your eyes in bliss if you can find it -- ask wherever you go to get good cheese. Fresh grated Parmesan cheese, and then the pasta of your choice. I usually use fettecine or linguine, but a short round pasta like rigatoni would work, or even bow-ties. Fresh garlic. Fresh ground pepper. And unlike most things that I make, this is not one that should be rushed -- the assembly is speedy, but the ingredients need to marinate and blend for maximum effect.

So first, get out a nice big shallow bowl. I happen to have one that says Pasta on it, just in case I forget what it is for! Pour about 1/2 cup of olive oil in it. Chop up a clove or two of garlic, depending on how much of a garlic fan you are, and add them to the oil. Now take about 3 large tomatos and chop them up as well -- bite-size chunks -- and drop them in as well. Now take the Brie, cut off the rind (this is best done when it is right out the fridge) and tear the cheese into small chunks. Into the bowl with everything else. Next, chop up a good amount of that fresh basil (you will see this is a LOOSE recipe -- I pretty much guestimate the entire thing based on how many people are eating) and add to the bowl with everything else.

Last of all, grind a few twists of fresh pepper into the whole thing. By now you have a gorgeous mixture that is making your kitchen smell unbelievably good, and it should look something like this:

Now comes the hard part -- lay a dish towel lightly over the top of the bowl...and go away for at least an hour. We must MARINATE. Let all those delicious components soak together and blend. An hour is the minimum. I have made this at lunchtime and left it on the counter until dinner, with strict warnings all around not to TOUCH it.

When you are ready to serve it up, cook whatever pasta you are using in salted water until it is done. I usually estimate about 2 ounces of pasta per person. Drain it and then dump it into the bowl and lightly toss it all together, and here is the most beautiful part: the heat of the cooked pasta will melt the cheese and it will all form the most delicious sauce you have ever tasted in your life. You have my solemn word on this.

So there you go -- my favorite pasta recipe in the world. Enjoy!